In the drilling of oil wells, the use of mud in the operations of the drilling have been known for many years. The return of this mud from the hole where the drilling occurs includes cuttings and other materials that are not or were not part of the mud. In an diesel based mud drilling operation, barite becomes entrained in the mud and must be removed. In addition, it must be sampled for the content of low gravity solids and barite to determine if the levels are acceptable or need to be discharged to waste.
It is an object of the present invention to have a simple separation from the mud, the gas, water and materials produced by the well so that the barite is separated from the other components produced or used in the drilling process and are not otherwise dumped into the environment as in the prior art.